Radio receiving apparatus



Dec. 2, 1930. N 1,783,292

RADIO RECEIVING APPARATUS Original Filed April 5, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet l Dec. 2, 1930. I A. A. KENT 1,783,292

RADIO RECEIVING APPARATUS Original Filed April 5. 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG 4-. 3

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a MfAGZiJ 1 ATTORNEX of the panel structure and a drum or Patented Dec. 2, 1930 uurrso STATES PATENT orrics ARTHUR ATWATER KENT, OF ARDIvIORE, PENNSYLVANIA RADIO RECEIVING APPARATUS Griginal application filed April 5, 1928, Serial No 99,696, Patent No. 1,658,562. Divided and this application filed January 5, 1323. Serial No. 244,665.

My invention relates to radio receiving apparatus and particularly to that type involving cascaded tuned circuits.

In accordance with my invention a plurality of condensers severally utilized in tuning cascaded circuits, have their rotors or adjustable elements mechanically coupled by driving means, such as bands, and at least one of the condensers is adjustable as a unit with respect to their common support for maintaining it and the cooperating mechanically coupled condenser unit at such distance from each other as shall maintain the driving band suitably taut.

Further in accordance with my invention the rotors of tuning devices, such as con d-ensers, have shafts each of which has but a single bearing, carried by the panel structure, from which the rotor is overhung on one side pulley secured to the shaft is overhung from the single bearing on the other side of the panel structure and the several drums or pulleys are mechanically coupled by belts or bands for single dial or unicontrol of the several tuning devices; and more particularly all of the rotor shafts, but one, terminate in the space between the panel structure and housing wall, and the one shaft extends freely through the housing wall to the exterior thereof where there is attached to the shaft a manually operable member.

Further in accordance with my invention at least the portion of the panel structure which carries the rotor bearings is of metal and effects electrical connection between the several condenser rotors.

This application is a. division from application Serial No. 99,696, filed April 5, 1926, upon which issued Letters Patent No. 1,658,562, February 7, 1928.

My invention resides in apparatus and features of construction of the character hereinafter described and claimed.

For an illustration of some of the various forms my invention may take, reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is an inverted plan view showing the interior of the cabinet and some of the apparatus enclosed therein.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view on the line 33 of Fig. 1.

Figs. l and 5 are vertical sectional views. parts in elevation, taken on the lines %4 and 5'5, respectively, of Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawing the cabinet or housing for the radio receiving apparatus comprises a member 1 having a top 2, end walls and side walls 3 and 4: respectively. The cabinet is preferably formed of sheet metal and is open at the bottom as shown. The lower edges of the walls are outwardly flared to produce flange-like supports 8a for the housing.

Bracket members 5 of Z shape are integrally secured to one of the side walls near the ends thereof by welding or other suitable means. The free ends of the brackets 5 have apertures for receiving screws 6 for the purpose hereinafter described.

Mounted within the cabinet and enclosed thereby is a panel 8 having a shelf portion 9 extending at right angles thereto. The panel 8 is adapted to support all of the units of the radio receiving apparatus ant. is itself capable of bodily adjustment with respect to the housing. To this end elongated slots 7 at both ends of the panel receive the screw members 6 and the panel is thereby adjustably supported with respect to the bracket members 5 and therefore with respect to the housing. The shelf member 9 has insulating plates 12 and 13 secured thereto as by screws or other suitable means and these plates form supports for radio receiving apparatus such as the vacuum tubes, transformers and the like.

As shown in the present case the tubes, such as V, Fig. 5, are positioned in the apparatus by inserting same through the bottom of the casing and positioning the tube electrodes in the proper tube mountings 1%. Terminal clips 10 are mounted on the opposite side of the insulating panels for resiliently engaging the tube terminals.

Referring to Fig. 3, radio frequency trans- Jon neath the shelf member by screws or bolts 15.

On theupper side of the shelf the condenser 11 may be located for by-passing the radio frequency around a source or power in the plate filament circuit.

Tuning devices such as variable condensers 21, 22 and 23 are mounted on the rear face of panel 8. These condensers may comprise the usual structure having rotor plates 27 mounted on the shaft 29 and cooperating with stator plates 28. The condensers are themselves assembled with respect to a U- shaped member 24 having edges extending at right angles to the main panel 8 and to which are attached plates 25 of insulation for supporting the stator structure.

To this end bolts 48 mounted rigidly with respect to supporting plates 25 have stator plates 28 mounted thereon. The rotor plates 2'? of condenser 22' are mounted on shaft 30 which is longer than shafts 29 of the other two condensers and which extends through an aperture 30a in the side wall of cabinet 1 and has attached thereto at its outerend the operating dial 39.

Radio recelving apparatus as stabilizing grld resistances 44 and a grid condenser 45 may be mounted on the stator frame of'the condensers by clamping the ends of said apparatus between conventional-nut and washer construction on the bolts 48. Condensers 21, 22 and 23 are each operated through their respective shafts to which are secured drum-members 34, 33 and 35. by the metallic belts or ribbons 36 and37. Operation'of drum 33 controls the other two condensers on either side thereof and permanent adjustment between the said members may be effected by having holes in the ribbons 36 and'37 in which closely fit pegs r pins 38 mounted on the drum members.

Condensers substantially of the structure herein described are, per se, disclosed and claimed in my prior Letters Patent No. 1,668,320, May 1, 1928; and a system of the character herein described for mechanically coupling rotors of tuning devices is disclosed and claimed in my prior Letters Patent No. 1,668,155, May 1, 1928.

Condensers 21 and 23 are adjustably mounted on the panel 8 by means of securing members 31 which extend through the slots 32 in said panel. In order to shift bodily either condenser unit 21 or 23 with respect to condenser unit 22 there are loosened the securing screws 31 which hold the condenser suj porting bracket 24 clamped to the panel 8- and thereafter the condenser is shifted horizontally and laterally with respect to the panel" and away from condenser unit 22 until its driving band or ribbon is taut, whereupon the screws 31 are again tightened.

This adjustment efiects proper tension of the metallic ribbons 36 and 37 without need for means for changing their length which varies more or less in quantity production.

lVhile in the example illustrated the bodily adjustment of the condenser units is horizontal it will be understood of course that it may be inany other suitable direction and if desired at such angle with respect to the alignment of the condenser units that relatively largeadjustment of a condenser unit effects but slight separation fromits companion.

By recourse to the adjusting structure of one condenser unit with respect to its companion it is insured that the mechanically coupled rotors shall at all times throughout the tuning range of the condensers occupy strictly similar tuning positions with respect to the cooperating stators.

Since condenser shaft 30 extends to the exterior of the cabinet wall it will moreover beapparent that the adjustable panel 8 carrymg said shaft may be shifted laterally and 'thereby effect proper registry of shaft 30 It will be understood that slots 7 may al low adjustment of the panel 8 in either a ver tical, a horizontal direction or both, and that condensers 21 and 23 may also be shifted vertically, horizontally, or in a direction having components of both movements by simply varying the location of the slots 32.

The cabinet or housing is indicated as constructed of sheet metal and the panel struc ture comprising the members 8 and 9 is preferably of sheet-metal.

The portion 8 of the panel structure, which itself constitutes a panel is spaced from a metal wall 4 of the housing and extends sub stantially parallel thereto. The bracket member such as 24, Fig. 4, of each of the tuning. condensers is of sheetmetal secured to the metal panel member 8 which has for each condenser an aperture 8a, bridged by the frame or bracket member 24 and within which is disposed-the bowed leaf spring 49, disposed between the drum and the frame 24 and bearing'upon the latter to exert an axial thrust, toward the left, Fig. 4, upon the rotor shaft to hold its conical portion 50 against a conical seat on the single bearing bushing or member 51 having a portion of reduced diameter extending through an aperture in the frame 24 and having its end peened over to secure it to the frame 24. The condenser rotor comprising the plates 27 is overhung from the single bearing on the rear of the panel member 8 while the pulley, for example 33, secured to the shaft, is overhung from the same single bearing on the opposite side of the panel member 8 in the space between it and the housing wall 4. The rotor plates are in electrical connection with their hearing and through it and the frame 24 with the panel member 8 which latter serves as an electrical connection between the several rotors which may also be electrically connected with each other, if desired, through the metallic pulleys 33, 34 and 35 and their metallic bands 36 and 37.

The rheostat unit 43, which may be utilized to control the current supplied to the iilaments or cathodes of one or more of the tubes, such as V, represents in general a control device for the radio receiving system, and is mounted upon the panel member 8, independently of the wall structure of the housing. It is disposed in the space between the panel member 8 and a housing wall 4 and is positioned at or in an aperture 43a in the wall 4 and is operable from the exterior by the knob 40. The adjustment of the panel member 8 with respect to the wall member 4 permits properly aligning the control device 43 with its aperture 43a in the same manner that the rotor shaft 30 is properly aligned with or related to its aperture 30a in the same wall 4.

Carried by the panel member 8 is a switch 41 which controls for example the supply of current to the tube filaments, and constitutes a further control device supported free of the housing wall 4 from whose exterior it is operable.

WVhat I claim is:

1. Radio receiving apparatus comprising a panel, a plurality of condensers having rotors adjustable about parallel axes carried by said panel on one side thereof, a second panel spaced from and substantially parallel with said first named panel on the opposite side thereof, drums secured to said rotors between said panels, and a band coupling said drums, at least one of said condensers being capable of lateral adjustment on said first named panel to effect tightening of said band.

2. Radio receiving apparatus comprising a panel, tuning condensers having rotors ad justable about parallel axes carried by said panel, a second panel spaced from and substantially parallel with said first named panel on the opposite side thereof, drums secured to said rotors between said panels, bands coupling one of said drums to the drums on either side, the rotors to which said drums on either side are secured being adjustable longit-udinally of said bands to efiect tightening thereof.

8. Radio receiving apparatus comprising a panel, a plurality of tuning condensers mounted thereon, means for effecting inchvidual bodily adjustment of at least one of said condensers with respect to another condenser, bands for mechanically coupling the rotor shafts of said condensers projecting through said panel, and a second panel supporting said first panel and spaced therefrom, the coupling bands for said rotors being disposed in the space between said panels.

4. Radio'receiving apparatus comprising the combination with a housing, of a panel member therein spaced from a wall thereof, a plurality of tuning devices carried by said panel member and each comprising a single bearing carried by said panel member, a rotor overhanging from said bearing on one side of said panel member, a drum secured to said rotor and overhanging from said bearing on the other side of said panel member and disposed between said panel member and said housin g wall, a band coupling the drums of different tuning devices, and means on the exterior of said housing for actuating said band and drums.

5. Radio receiving apparatus comprising the combination with a housing, of a panel member therein spaced from a wall thereof, a plurality of tuning devices carried by said panel member and each comprising a single bearing carried by said panel member, a rotor overhanging from said bearing on one side of said panel member, a drum secured to said rotor and overhanging from said bearing on the other side of said panel member and disposed between said panel member and said housing wall, a spring disposed between said drum and said bearing for exerting an axial thrust on said rotor to hold it in operative relation to said bearing, a band coupling the drums of different tuning devices, and means on the exterior of said housing for actuating said band and drums.

6. Radio receiving apparatus comprising the combination with a housing, of a panel member therein spaced from a wall thereof, a plurality of tuning devices carried by said panel member and each comprising a single bearing for its rotor shaft carried by said panel member, a rotor overhanging from said bearing on one side of said panel member, a drum secured to said shaft and overhanging from said bearing on the other side of said panel member and disposed between said panel member and said housing wall, a band coupling the driuns of different tuning devices, the shafts of all but one of said tuning devices falling short of said housing wall, said one of said shafts extending to the exterior of said housing wall, and manually operable means exterior to said housing secured to said shaft.

7. Radio receiving apparatus comprising the combination with a. housing, of a panel member therein spaced from a wall thereof, a plurality of tuning devices each comprising a rotor and a single bearing therefor carried by said panel member, said rotor overhanging from said bearing on one side of said panel member, rotor actuating means overhanging from said bearing on the other side of said panel member, means disposedbetween said panel member and said housing Wall for mechanically coupling the actuating means of the different tuning de,vic'es,rand means exterior to said housing Wall for acv tuating said coupling means. I

8. Radio receiving apparatus comprising, a metal panel member, a plurality of tuning 1O condensers each comprising a stator element, a rotor element and a single bearing for the rotor shaft carriedby said panel member and through Which said rotor element is electrically connected to said panel member, Where by the rotor elements of the different c0ndensers are electrically connected With each other through said panel member, and means on the opposite side of said panel member from the rotor elements mechanically conpling their shafts to effect adjustment of said rotor elements in unison.

ARTHUR ATVVATER KENT. 

